Former Minister of Communications and National Coalition Party MP Suvi Lindén accompanied the man on the trip, but Patria denies any cooperation with her. Foreign Minister Timo Soini says his ministry is following the case closely and that the cause of death remains unclear.

The Finnish state holds a controlling 50.1 percent stake in Patria, and in addition to his role as Minister for the Economy Lintilä serves as the minister responsible for state ownership steering. The rest of the company's shares are held by a Norwegian state company.

Votes of confidence for CEO

"According to the information I have at this stage, he has [my confidence]," said Lintilä.

Patria board chair Christer Granskog tells Yle that he too still has confidence in Isotalo, but called for stricter adherence to the company's own rules. He promised that the company will deliver a report on the "one-off case" on Thursday.

Patria has faced a series of scandals over the years involving arms sales in Slovenia, Croatia and Egypt.